I worked at the Oriental from 1978-1990, first as a relief projectionist, then as the main projectionist, and finally as the manager/projectionist. I showed ROCKY HORROR so many times I am amazed I am still functional. And I was present during the transformation to 3 screens.
I have fond memories from those years. Many a night after work I went out with two others on staff, Chris and Jerry, to one of the bars—Von Trier, Landmark Lanes, or Vituccis, mostly. We became the Farwell-North Society, and the members each possessed a Portuguese coin that I had brought back from a trip to Portugal with Tony Bronson (Charles’s son) on a film shoot. The member had to produce his coin on demand or he would have to buy the next round. I was there the night Century Hall burned to the ground and we all just watched in disbelief. I had performed there years earlier as a cast member of Krystal Set a live radio-comedy improv group.
I’m also a writer (thelastreveal.blogspot.com), with several books out and screenplays looking for production. My favorite memory of the Oriental is the long hot summer (1984) when I wrote THE JUPE, kind of THE SHINING in a movie palace. Many a night I scared myself so bad I had trouble leaving through that dark balcony and upper foyer as the last one at the end of the night. After a table reading of THE JUPE, one of the audience members, a theater owner, told me he thought he’d have a hard time closing his theater late at night after that. The Jupiter Theater in the story is the Oriental down to the last detail, including the sub-basements, false ceiling and attic, and ghosts.
I worked at the Oriental from 1978-1990, first as a relief projectionist, then as the main projectionist, and finally as the manager/projectionist. I showed ROCKY HORROR so many times I am amazed I am still functional. And I was present during the transformation to 3 screens.
I have fond memories from those years. Many a night after work I went out with two others on staff, Chris and Jerry, to one of the bars—Von Trier, Landmark Lanes, or Vituccis, mostly. We became the Farwell-North Society, and the members each possessed a Portuguese coin that I had brought back from a trip to Portugal with Tony Bronson (Charles’s son) on a film shoot. The member had to produce his coin on demand or he would have to buy the next round. I was there the night Century Hall burned to the ground and we all just watched in disbelief. I had performed there years earlier as a cast member of Krystal Set a live radio-comedy improv group.
I’m also a writer (thelastreveal.blogspot.com), with several books out and screenplays looking for production. My favorite memory of the Oriental is the long hot summer (1984) when I wrote THE JUPE, kind of THE SHINING in a movie palace. Many a night I scared myself so bad I had trouble leaving through that dark balcony and upper foyer as the last one at the end of the night. After a table reading of THE JUPE, one of the audience members, a theater owner, told me he thought he’d have a hard time closing his theater late at night after that. The Jupiter Theater in the story is the Oriental down to the last detail, including the sub-basements, false ceiling and attic, and ghosts.
Lee Matthias